Reducing child and maternal mortality in Nigeria

Maternal mortality is a key indicator of international development, and its reduction has long been a challenge in low-income countries, despite the existence of effective interventions.

A recent World Health Organization, (WHO) report indicates that more than 600,000 women have died in recent time due to child-birth or pregnancy-related complications while Nigeria accounts for close to 10 percent of that figure. Similarly, a document released in April 2012 titled ‘Trends in Maternal Mortality; 1990 to 2010, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and World Bank estimates situated Nigeria with maternal mortality; 1990 ( 1100), 1995 ( 1000), 2000 ( 970) , 2005 (820) and 2010 (630). In 2013, another report indicated that two years to 2015, Nigeria is still not among some 25 countries with high child mortality that have “met or are making significant progress” toward a health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce child mortality by two-thirds, according to a ranking by the charity, Save the Children.

The report tagged, “An Agenda for Ending Preventable Child Deaths,” considered trends in child and infant mortality, as well as measures to sustain health programmes and ensure equity over periods exceeding 10 years, and that concluded Nigeria made “very little progress.” It ranks Nigeria 24 among 75 countries for reduction in under-five mortality, equity and sustainability, with a total score of 1.5 out of a possible three.

A 2016 UNICEF report indicated that an estimated 2,600 children died within the first 24 hours every day of the year. For almost 2 million newborns, their first week was also their last. In all, 2.6 million children died before the end of their first month. Among those children, more than 80 per cent died from preventable and treatable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis and pneumonia.

Beyond the achievement of sustainable development goals, there is no better time than now to save every new born. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is set to launch the “Every Child Alive” global campaign to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns.

UNICEF said global deaths of newborn babies remain alarmingly high, particularly among the world’s poorest countries. The organization’s new report on newborn mortality rates globally – Every Child Alive – has found that babies born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore have the best chance of survival while newborns in Pakistan, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan face the worst odds.

The report has placed Nigeria in the 11th position in global ranking where newborn babies die due to lack of assistance during delivery, poverty, conflict and weak institutions. Beyond achieving an increased progress rate to attain the sustainable development goals, every new born deserves the right to live. However, the progress rate should be increased if the country must attain the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNICEF released a report on February 20, 2017 on the urgent need to end new born death through her “Every Child Alive” – a global campaign to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns. Global deaths of newborn babies has been said to remain alarmingly high, particularly among the world’s poorest countries.

Through the campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep every child alive by recruiting, training, retaining and managing sufficient numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives with expertise in maternal and newborn care, guaranteeing clean, functional health facilities equipped with water, soap and electricity, within the reach of every mother and baby, making it a priority to provide every mother and baby with the life-saving drugs and equipment needed for a healthy start in life; and empowering adolescent girls, mothers and families to demand and receive quality care.

Several studies from global bodies such as theWHOand UNICEF have shown that critical strategy for reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality is ensuring that every baby is delivered with the assistance of a skilled birth attendant which generally includes a medical doctor, nurse or midwife. According to the WHO and UNICEF, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.

In a bid to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria, The Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation (GAMSU) partnered with General Electric (GE) Healthcare in 2017 to train no fewer than 45 nurses at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on maternal and infant care. This is small compared to the number of hospitals and health care centres across the country in urgent need of skilled nurses and healthcare professionals, especially in the rural areas where most women are victims.

In Lagos, the overall goal of the State Government is safe delivery of newborns regardless of means of delivery, be it through modern day doctors or through Traditional Birth Attendants, (TBAs) who have been certified and licenced to operate by the State Ministry of Health. While this is quite commendable, adequate monitoring mechanisms should be put in place in ensuring compliance with standard practise and professionalism.

Medical issues that require professional attention should not be attempted by (TBAs) but referrals be made appropriately to government hospitals anytime there is need for such. Also, TBAs should be periodically celebrated for their contribution to human existence. They should not be allowed to practise in fear and in secret or under unfriendly legislations as such may worsen access to care and result in worse outcomes if women deliver at home without support of TBAs.

This is the best time for all tiers of governments and other stakeholders to put up a common front in dealing with maternal health and infant and child survival-related issues in the country. UNICEF advises that in order to save mother and child from avoidable death, there is a need for a strong cooperation of all stakeholders. Certainly, if we are to reduce cases of child and maternal deaths in the country, everyone that has something to do with the health sector must come together. This, indeed, is the major way forward.

Latest

Omodele Adigun As the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) prepares to wind down its tax amnesty programme, the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), its data mining component, has been considered the most effective tool to whip tax dodgers into line. Just five months into the nine-month schedule, the scheme was said to have…

Omodele Adigun With the implementation of the new Land Use Charge (LUC) law, the Lagos State government is planning to use its proceeds to execute ongoing infrastructural projects rather than continuing borrowing from the bond market, its Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, has said. Bamigbetan, who stated this at a media parley…

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) says a special market should be created to enable it to sell the stockpile of assets tied to it. The corporation said the market will be called AMCON Market. According to a statement released on Sunday, Eberechukwu Uneze, an Executive Director at AMCON, made the call while declaring…

Omodele Adigun As manufacturers in the country are clamouring for low interest rate, Mr Ayodeji Ebo, the Chief Executive Officer of Afrinvest Securities Limited,has cautioned that doing so now may cause sudden exit of foreign portfolio investors. “We know that we still need the foreign investors to be coming . But by the time they…

Adewale Sanyaolu Nigerian electricity consumers might soon be thrown into a nationwide blackout following a recent warning letter to power generation companies (Gencos) for termination of gas supplies contract over mounting debt, Daily Sun has learnt. It was revealed that the precarious situation of the Gencos was, further compounded by the 92 per cent payment…

Entertainment

Tony Ogaga IK Ogbonna is one act that’s taking the Nigerian movie space by storm. Known for his ability to interpret very diverse roles, the thespian emerges as one of the most sought after in the industry. His role in Agatha Amata’s new flick, Disguise, where he plays a woman with polished fingernails, long brown…

South-West Report

• Day Ooni led Ife indigenes to seek god’s nod for riches, prosperity Clement Adeyi, Osogbo ile-ife, Osun State, the cradle of Yoruba civilization, was agog recently for Aje Festival celebration. The celebration was in honour of Aje, the Yoruba deity of wealth and prosperity. The annual event was held at the Afewonro Park in…

Abuja Metro

Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has effected a minor cabinet reshuffle in the State Executive Council with three new Commissioners assigned portfolios. Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson who disclosed this in Yenagoa aftervtge the state Executive Council meeting held, on Wednesday, said newly inaugurated Commissioners namely, Funkazi…

Oriental News

…As work begins on Otuocha-Anam-Kogi federal road Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka It was a prayer answered for the people of Anambra West Local Government Area recently as contractor resumed construction work on the Otuocha-Anam-Kogi federal road. The people could not contain their excitement following the resumption of work on the road which was abandoned for a…

Features

Emma Emeozor [email protected] After the end of the Cold War, there was an in increase in the number of African leaders who embraced constitutional democracy. The importance of the ballot box as a democratic tool for electing leaders was appreciated as power was seen to reside in the electorate. However, the beauty of constitutional democracy began…

Literary Review

Leslie Nneka Arimah is the author of What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, a collection of 12 short stories published in 2017. The stories, set in Nigeria and the US, move from realism to fantasy connected by the thread of humanity. The writer, who was recently shortlisted for the 2018 Etisalat…

Lifeline

•Days after 48-hour ultimatum expired, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue, Ijora roads rendered impassable by articulated vehicles Cosmas Omegoh Residents of Lagos State are looking to see how the looming confrontation between the military and drivers of articulated vehicles occupying the city’s road and brides will pan out. Drivers of fuel trucks and other articulated…

Education Review

• Students swear after abduction incident Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri Government Girls Science and Technical College, located at the outskirts of Dapchi, a serene town east of Yobe State was the hope of many children in the area. It is the only school situated about 100 kilometres from Damaturu on the edge of the lone road…

TSWeekend

Damilola Fatunmise; Fatimah Muhammad-Omolaja After 16 years in the United States of America where he studied filmmaking, Martin Gbados returned home to pursue his passion. And by dint of sheer grace, all his works have received national and international acclaims. In this chat, the producer of award winning movie, A Soldier’s Story, opens up…

Opinion

Funmi Fasipe Maternal mortality is a key indicator of international development, and its reduction has long been a challenge in low-income countries, despite the existence of effective interventions. A recent World Health Organization, (WHO) report indicates that more than 600,000 women have died in recent time due to child-birth or pregnancy-related complications while Nigeria accounts…

Columnists

I was confronted last week by a student who has shown a significant interest in Africa and other developing regions. The student asked me in a sombre tone: Why is Nigeria a country in which nothing works? Why do so many citizens of your country endure economic hardships when the country celebrates yearly federal and…

After a needless display of vulnerable arrogance President Muhammadu Buhari has allowed his presidential feet to step on the blood-stained soil of Benue State. At the time of writing this piece on Sunday the government and people of Benue were making arrangements to welcome the President. Schoolchildren may line the streets to welcome the President….

There is no doubt that when the political history of Oyo State is being written, the name of the incumbent governor, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, will feature prominently. There are many reasons for this. In the modern democratic history of Oyo state, Governor Ajimobi is the first civilian governor to enjoy two terms in office….

From Owelle Rochas Okorocha to exuberant Frank Nneji, a leading business mogul who has, from a humble background of industry and enterprise, redefined service delivery in the transport and tourism sectors of the economy. He eminently founded ABC Transport PLC that changed Nigeria’s transport topography and institutionalized, for the first time in the country’s history,…

Where the pendulum swings for the Igbo nation has been a burning issue of discourse across the land, as we approach another electoral exercise next year. This issue recently engaged our platform, Nsu Economic Council, NEC, the think tank of Nsu community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. It comprises the elite…

With general elections looming, there’s so much to thank our president for. One of such appreciation subheads covers the fact that everything the man has/hasn’t said or done since coming on in 2015 has tended to mobilise the masses pro and con. Very many of those looking to throng polling booths in 2019 would be…

There is this story about a Maths teacher and her six-year-old pupil. It is entitled “The 4th Apple.” The teacher, the story goes, asked the child, “If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?” After a few seconds, the boy replied confidently, four. The dismayed…

Recently, Governor Rochas Okorocha announced to Imolites that he would like his Chief of Staff, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, to succeed him. Not only that, the governor presented his deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, to go to the Senate to represent the people of Imo East Senatorial District, while himself would go to the Red Chamber to…

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), who turned 76 years old, last Friday, has touched many lives in various ways. His uncommon humility, which transcends the human realm, is one reason some people think he is more of a spiritual being than human. It perhaps defies human psychology that…

hello njigirl, Please keep anonymous, I just read through your article on women being rendered breadwinners all in a drop. Please is there anywhere one can get help as this situation is draining life out of me gradually? Its easier when its for a loving caring husband but when its for a devilish husband fear…